Maybe it’s time to take your skeletons out of the closet and into your art?

Art shouldn’t have to be all pretty and cute. It’ can’t be. You’ll discover that when you make art every day you will need to mix things up and try new things, experiment with your hidden feelings too. On bad days I make ugly tired doodles. And on some days I feel like skulls and skeletons, death and disaster. Two of my “ugly” daily art cards got quite a few comment at flickr, and that got my attention. I looked at them again and thought about what they portrait. Maybe we all need to get ugly a bit more in our creations?

Who's morbid - a daily art card collage by iHanna

Morbid. Daily Art Card made May 20. Collage by iHanna.

Why not bring out your journal and paint a page black? Do some really angry marks on top of that. Or write other words than play, create, smile. Write about death, rage and panic attacks. Write about your fears, your troubles, your pain, your loss, your heartache. I use my diary to write down everything in my life, and it is filled with whining. Sometimes my pages are unreadable or painful to view but I’m always happier after I wrote them. I hope you’re not keeping a journal to impress others with your pretty wonderful life? Everyone has bad days, and art can help.

Canceled flight - Daily Art Card 2008-05-23 made by iHanna

Canceled flight. Art Card made from May 23. Collage by iHanna

I hope you’re not making your art pretty because you don’t know ugly? I hope you don’t fear the ugliness of your true feelings? Ugly needs to come out and play too, even though Ugly is an ugly play mate. Ugly will pinch your chin, laugh in your face and smirk when you try to hide. But once you let ugly into your Art you’ll maybe end up with something else inside of your head? Let it out of you and let the healing begin.

Try it!